Why Michael Jordan's public stand on race is such a big, big deal

In June of 1992, the Rodney King riots had just rocked Los Angeles and the United States faced deep racial animus. Meanwhile, Michael Jordan was just beginning to reach the height of his basketball powers.

He'd won his first NBA title a year prior, and was days away from his second. Later that summer, he'd achieve global-icon status leading the Dream Team to gold at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

A day after Jordan scored 39 points to boost the Bulls to victory in Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals, one of his Chicago Bulls teammates spoke about him in the press.

Craig Hodges, a backup Bulls guard, ripped Jordan.

Hodges didn't rip Jordan over his play, though — the basketball ability of His Airness has never been in doubt. No, Hodges took time in the middle of the NBA Finals to blast Jordan over his stance on social issues.

"When they came to Michael after the L.A. deal went down and asked him what he thought, his reply was that he wasn't really up on what was going on," Hodges told The New York Times. "I can understand that, but at the same time, that's a bailout situation because you are bailing out when some heat is coming on you. We can't bail anymore."

Ouch. Worse yet for Jordan, that line of criticism has dogged him for decades. The sports icon who routinely flew close to the sun as a basketball player is often seen as toeing an apolitical line when it comes to more important matters.

Jordan after leading the Bulls to victory in the 1992 NBA Finals

Image: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

"Republicans buy sneakers, too," is the famous quote attributed to Jordan.

It's a thirdhand quote included in a book by journalist Sam Smith about Jordan; whether it was ever said at all is very debatable. But that's of little importance; the quote has been baked into Jordan's legend and defines his shortcomings to those who see him as over-concerned with selling sneakers and unbothered by social issues.

He's arguably the most famous athlete in human history, according to the critical line of thinking, but more concerned with making money and smoking cigars than using his platform to promote positive social change.

That history and context is why what Jordan did this Monday is such a big deal — both for him, and for what it reveals about our current American moment.

Jordan: 'Silent' no more

Jordan was always vocal on the court.

Image: Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images

"I can no longer stay silent," Jordan wrote in a first-person piece published by ESPN's TheUndefeated.com on Monday morning.

“I was raised by parents who taught me to love and respect people regardless of their race or background, so I am saddened and frustrated by the divisive rhetoric and racial tensions that seem to be getting worse as of late," Jordan wrote. "I know this country is better than that, and I can no longer stay silent. We need to find solutions that ensure people of color receive fair and equal treatment AND that police officers – who put their lives on the line every day to protect us all – are respected and supported."

Jordan said he plans to make $1 million donations to both the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s Institute for Community-Police Relations and the the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Jordan's own father was killed during a carjacking in 1993. After several false starts, ESPN launchedThe Undefeated earlier this year as a destination for sports and culture as viewed through the lens of the African American experience. That makes it a particularly poignant landing spot for Jordan's big statement.

“Over the past three decades I have seen up close the dedication of the law enforcement officers who protect me and my family," Jordan wrote. "I have the greatest respect for their sacrifice and service. I also recognize that for many people of color their experiences with law enforcement have been different than mine. I have decided to speak out in the hope that we can come together as Americans, and through peaceful dialogue and education, achieve constructive change."

He ends the short piece with a dose of pragmatic optimism: "The problems we face didn’t happen overnight and they won’t be solved tomorrow, but if we all work together, we can foster greater understanding, positive change and create a more peaceful world for ourselves, our children, our families and our communities."

Uninvolved? Or unfairly accused?

Jordan has built a business empire unlike that of any athlete before or since.

Image: Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images

If you keep scrolling down after reading Jordan's piece on The Undefeated, you reach a second story. Written by The Undefeated staffers Mike Wise and Jerry Bembry, it takes a correcting-the-record angle on Jordan's level of involvement with social issues.

That second piece points out that the Charlotte Hornets, the NBA team Jordan now owns, "have more people in color holding top front office positions than any other organization in any major sport in North America." It also says "the Jordan Brand, valued recently at $2.8 billion by Nike, has always had an African-American CEO." It recounts what he said after Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was caught on tape making racist comments in 2014.

The second piece reads as a bit of calculated image-management from Jordan's handlers — and as perhaps the price to land a groundbreaking, first-person piece by Jordan for your site. It's also not the first time Jordan-as-social-figure has been defended, and it does present an interesting counterargument to the dominant narrative about his alleged moral shortcomings.

But to get to the heart of why Jordan's public stance matters so much, we have to go back to where we began this story: With Craig Hodges in 1992.

'Leadership in America is the athletes and entertainers'

Jordan has long held a special appeal and influence for sports fans.

Image: ERIC CHU/AFP/Getty Images

After criticizing his teammate Jordan for not doing more, Hodges widened the lens.

"Leadership in America is the athletes and entertainers," he said 24 years ago.

Excited Jordan fans in 2001.

Image: Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty Images

Today, a reality TV host is one election from the White House, the Kardashians are as recognizable as the Obamas and Arnold Schwarzenegger is a half-decade into retirement after serving as governor of California.

If Hodges' statement rang true in 1992, it's ten times more apt in 2016.

So you can criticize Jordan for years of keeping a low profile when it comes to social issues. You can even criticize his Monday statement as partially self-serving, or his donations as not enough.

But you can no longer say Jordan keeps his social views private. And you can't deny that now — more than ever — America needs its entertainer-leaders of all political views to promote unity and healing, not push division and fear.

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